Inverse-Compton Emission from the Lobes of 3C353

Abstract

Analysis of the radio synchrotron and X-ray inverse-Compton emission from radio-loud active galaxies allows us to determine their particle ac- celeration processes and electron energy spectra. Previous studies have provided new constraints on the total energy budget and particle content of powerful radio galaxies and quasars; however, in most cases the sources are too faint in the X-ray to obtain spatial information. We present archival and new multi-frequency radio observations from the VLA and GMRT, and XMM-Newton observations of the bright FRII radio galaxy 3C353 which lies on the edge of the X-ray-luminous cluster Zw 1718.1-0108. The X-ray observations detect both the inverse-Compton emission from the radio galaxy lobes and thermal emission from the hot phase of the intracluster medium. We discuss the properties of the particle energy spectrum as a function of position in the lobe, as well as the properties of the merging cluster.